For finance, accounting, marketing and sales professionals, or anyone who needs to analyze and present data, Xcelsius is a resource for visually and interactively representing data. It can turn a standard, boring and difficult to read Microsoft Excel spreadsheet into an interactive, visual dashboard.

Visuals are a key communication strategy in today's information-abundant world. They can increase understanding of differences and similarities, and help to establish patterns in information and data.

The Xcelsius Web site shows examples of a projected sales model, competitive comparison dashboard and a profitability analysis. The site also includes whitepapers and an option for a free 30-day trial. The trial includes palettes of dials, sliders, charts and maps; and the software comes with a great tutorial (Lynda.com also has an introductory tutorial). The tutorial will walk you through linking Xcelsius to an Excel spreadsheet, adding interactive components to control data display and data variables, and exporting to Flash, PPT and PDF.

Xcelsius also can be used as a tool for learning designers and developers. At Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, students in the Visual Representation course investigate the uses of data visualization for analysis, learning design, communication and assessment. The students use Xcelsius. And I've most often used Xcelsius to create interactive online learning objects. In one instance, interactive sliders and dials were used to visually represent the relationship between employee involvement in health care decisions and cost, quality and personal health awareness. Another use was as an interactive pie chart that could be dynamically controlled based on input and feedback from learners in the class. Check out another example of using Xcelsius for interactive learning by clicking here.

Any Xcelsius users out there who can share their experiences?

Andy Petroski is director of learning technologies and assistant professor of learning technologies at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

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